(1R)‐2‐Amino[1‐2H1]ethanol and (1S,2RS)‐2‐amino[1,2‐2H2]ethanols have been synthesised by decarboxylation of (2S,3R)‐[3‐2H1]serine and (2S,3S)‐[2,3‐2H2]serine respectively.
The stereochemical integrity of these labelled 2‐aminoethanols has been ascertained from the 1H‐NMR spectra of their N,O‐dicamphanoyl derivatives.
This assay has also been used to confirm that samples of (2R)‐ and (2S)‐2‐amino[2‐2H1]ethanols prepared from (2R)‐ and (2S)‐[2‐2H1]glycines are stereochemically pure.
Ethanolamine ammonia‐lyase rearranges (1R)‐2‐amino[1‐2H1]ethanol to acetaldehyde at approximately the same rate as it rearranges unlabelled 2‐aminoethanol, whilst (1S,2RS)‐2‐amino[1,2‐2H2]ethanol is rearranged at the same rate as the (1,1‐2H2)‐labelled substrate. The isotope effect is approximately kH/k2H= 8.
The 2H‐NMR spectra of the 3,5‐dinitrobenzoates of the ethanol produced by reduction in situ of the acetaldehyde formed in the rearrangements show that the 1‐2H1 label migrates in (1S,2RS)‐2‐amino‐[1,2‐2H2]ethanol and 2‐amino[1,1‐2H2]ethanol but not in (1R)‐2‐amino[1‐2H1]ethanol.
The above results indicate that the adenosylcobalamin‐dependent ethanolamine ammonia‐lyase catalyses the rearrangement of 2‐aminoethanol with migration of the 1‐pro‐S‐hydrogen atom.